Author Archives: klewis9

Jun
17
2014

One Simple Way to Relieve Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

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I’ve always heard of the word “GERD”, but I never knew what it was. GERD is gastroesophageal reflux disease, also known as heart burn. Acid reflux occurs when the stomach contents leak backwards from the stomach into the esophagus. The reason it is called heart burn is because when stomach acid, hydrochloric acid, comes back up, it causes a burning sensation near the heart. Drinking alcohol and smoking increase the problem making the symptoms a lot worse. If you have acid reflux, you should avoid foods that stimulate stomach acid like tomatoes, onions, orange juice, chocolate, coffee, and fatty foods. There are medications you can take that cut down on the severity of the burning sensation. You can take Pepcid or Pepto-Bismol an hour before eating to block the acid coming back up. You are less likely to have severe acid reflux if you eat foods in smaller amounts and if you don’t lie down after eating.  This could also have something to do with cancer of the esophagus (Totora).

Millions of people suffer from acid reflux, especially people over forty years of age. You may notice heartburn, sore throat, chest pains, or coughing; these are all symptoms of GERD. In this study, surgeons use a device to cut down the acid reflux a person has. They take a small, circular beaded ring and apply it directly above the stomach, relaxing the sphincters allowing the food to pass through, but then closing when food it gone. After the procedure, patients can return back to normal eating and daily routines in about a week. With the procedure, it cuts down on medication taken and can be more beneficial than other surgeries. Surgeons only recommend this procedure be done if you have chronic acid reflux.  The LINX device has been approved by FDA and has been tested on over 400 people. Ninety percent of the people who have had this procedure have had the amount of reflux decrease (Science Daily).

I feel that this is a good procedure that could be beneficial to a lot of people, especially with severe heartburn. I chose this topic and article because my mother has really bad acid reflux and the doctors have put her on several medications, like Omeprazole, and none of them help. Seeing all of the positive outcomes of this procedure, I would definitely recommend it. I don’t think people realize that heartburn is a serious matter that needs medical attention. If you go so long without attention, it could lead to way worse.

 

Stony Brook University. “Implantable magnetic ‘bracelet’ brings relief to GERD sufferers.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 February 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140227163835.htm>.

 

Totora, Gerard J., And Derrickson, Bryan. Principals of Anatomy & Physiology. 13th ed. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2014. Print.

Feb
26
2014

Oral Contraceptives Can Increase the Risk for Glaucoma

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Do you know what the most common cause of blindness is in the United States? The answer is glaucoma. Glaucoma has had an effect on about two percent of people in the population over forty years old. Glaucoma occurs usually when someone has abnormally high intraocular pressure, which causes the aqueous humor to build up within the inside of the eye cavity, putting pressure on the neurons of the retina. If pressure stays constant, it then leads to damage of the optic nerve and causes blindness. This is painless and a person can have damage long before the condition is found and diagnosed. Because it is more prevalent with aging people, regular checkups with the optometrist is important. The risk factors to glaucoma include race, family history, past injuries, and any type of disorders that you have been diagnosed with (Totora).
Researchers found that females who have consumed any type of oral contraceptives for three or more years are more likely to suffer from glaucoma than anyone else. Gynecologists and ophthalmologists need to be aware that these contraceptives could make this disease worse. Doctors should have their patients eyes screened at least every 2 years. The University of California, Duke University School of Medicine, and Third Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University (Nanchang China) were the first to conduct this research (AAO). They gathered data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and used a little over three thousand females over forty years old and had been taking contraceptives for three plus years. One of the researchers stated that women who have been taking contraceptives that long should follow up with an ophthalmologist (American).
I feel people should know about glaucoma because it is a serious disease. Before reading this article, I had no idea that oral contraceptives could increase the chances of blindness. I take 2 medicines daily and have taken both of them for more than three years now. It makes me think about how this could be harming my eyes and I not know it. It really makes you think about what you are putting into your body; it could be a good thing, but also harmful.

American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). “Long-term oral contraceptive users twice as likely to have serious eye disease.” ScienceDaily. Science Daily, 18 November 2013. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131118091418.htm>.
Totora, Gerard J., And Derrickson, Bryan. Principals of Anatomy & Physiology. 13th ed. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2014. Print.

Dec
06
2013

Stimulant Drugs: Ethical or Unethical?

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The use of anabolic steroids has increased over the years. Steroids, or “roids”, are taken to increase muscle size by increasing the synthesis of proteins in muscle usually during athletic contest. Steroids are very similar to testosterone. The large doses that are taken to produce muscle growth have devastating and damaging side effects. Some of the side effects are liver cancer, kidney damage, increased risk of heart disease, stunted growth, wide mood swings, increased acne, and increased irritability and aggressiveness. Females that take anabolic steroids could experience atrophy of the breast and uterus, menstrual irregularities, sterility, facial hair growth, and deepening of the voice. Males may experience diminished testosterone secretion, atrophy of the testes, sterility, and baldness. (Tortora, 354)

In the article, “Male College Students Believe Taking Performance- Enhancing Drugs for Sports Is More Unethical than Using Stimulants to Improve Grades”, students say that off-label prescription drug use is more effective for success than using steroids. When using steroids or performance enhancers, it is viewed unethical when used in sports, rather than academics. Around 1,200 college freshmen at Penn State University, mainly white, were given two scenarios and asked to answer a questionnaire. One scenario was about a guy named Bill, who was worried about a track meet and did not think that he would improve before the meet, so he took some steroids and actually won the championship race. The second scenario was a college student named Jeff, who had midterms coming up and did not have time to study and was worried about his grade, so he took some Adderall, a prescription stimulant, and scored higher than he thought he would. The students were asked how strongly they agreed or disagreed on four statements, and this is what they replied with. They said that “Bill/Jeff were cheating because they used steroids and Adderall” and also said that “for Bill/Jeff to do well, it was necessary for them to take the drug”. Students were asked if they had ever misused prescriptions stimulants and less than 1% said they had never used steroids, while 8% said they had misused them in the last 12 months. Most of the students said that they were mostly to accept Jeff’s Adderall use over Bill’s steroid use. Knowing this could tackle future preventions for illegal stimulants in the academic world.

I feel that people, mostly high school and college kids, should know this because there are so many people in the world who misuse steroids or prescription drugs, and that is illegal. I feel that males use stimulants to get in higher rank. Even if enhancing drugs are not taken for sports, unless you have a behavioral issue diagnosed by a doctor, you should not take them. I have seen so many guys lose everything they have strived for over using enhancing drugs; it is not worth it.

 

 

American Psychological Association (APA). “Male college students believe taking performance-enhancing drugs for sports is more unethical that using stimulants to improve grades.” ScienceDaily, 8 May 2012. Web. 1 Nov. 2013

 

Tortora G.J. and B. Derrickson, 2012. Principals of Anatomy and Physiology. 13th ed., John Wiley and Sons

 

Oct
25
2013

Osteoporosis in Women After Menopause

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Osteoporosis is a disease of the bones where you have low bone mass. Osteoporosis can affect anyone, but women are most likely to get it. The reason women get osteoporosis more frequently is because the bones in the body are not depositing as much calcium as your body is absorbing. It mainly takes a toll on the upper portion of your body like the vertebrae, wrist, and hips, although it can affect the whole skeletal system. Osteoporosis can also  cause many other issues like shrinkage in height, bone pain, and a hunch in your back. More women often have osteoporosis, because their estrogen levels quickly decline after menopause. (Tortora, 203)

In the article, “Osteoporosis risk factors after menopause”, it states that a study was done on a group of Portuguese women that had gone through menopause. They wanted to find out if they could find any common factors linked to osteoporosis. They looked at the bone mass density by the use of DEXA, dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. DEXA can tell you if you are at high risk for fracture. They are trying to come up with a drug that is  affordable for people with ostopenia to prevent it from progressing to osteoporosis.

I feel that people should know about this disease because it is so widely known in women. The more information you retain about osteoporosis, the better you can deal with it. I know several people that have osteoporosis and this disease has taken control of their life. It is physically hard for someone to stay active when you have osteoporosis. This could also lead to depression.

 

 

Inderscience, “Osteoporosis risk factor after menopause.” Science Daily. 13 Nov. 2012. Web. 6 Oct. 2013

Tortora G.J. and B. Derrickson, 2012. Principals of Anatomy and Physiology. 13th ed., John Wiley and Sons

Oct
02
2013

DNA Helicase Study

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Without DNA, or deoxyribonucliec acid, the human body wouldn’t exist. The double helix is a model that has two strands of DNA that intertwine to resemble a ladder (Tortora, 56). Each strand  of DNA depends on the other one when replicated, or when it makes a new strand. ATP, or adenosine triphosphate, is the energy required for DNA to be replicated. However, this ATP can be helpful, but sometimes harmful (University of Bristol). What can cause ATP to be helpful?

In this study, a team monitored a helicase found in a strand of DNA. It was discovered that this specific helicase used ATP to change its shape at the beginning of unzipping DNA. The rest of the process proceeds to without further ATP consumption after the enzymes changes shape.

They were studying how the helicase operates in bacteria, which is likely how they operate in our cells, since all cells use helicases to unzip DNA for repair or replication. This a way natural selection has optimized cellular machinery to conserve energy.

DNA repair is an example of this. This study has pushed science in the right direction of microscopic improvements. I think this article is important for everyone to know since every human being is made up of DNA. Everyone should know how the body is made, functions, and what makes you special because each person has a different set of DNA.

 

 

University of Bristol. “Random walks in DNA bacterial enzyme has evolved an energy-efficient method to move long distances along DNA.” Science Daily, 19 Apr 2013. Web. 13 Sept 2013

 

Tortora G.J. and B. Derrickson, 2012. Principals of Anatomy and Physiology. 13th ed., John Wiley and Sons